The Capo’s Daughter Needs No Permission Chapter 17
I reopened Marco’s attachment.
The chat log was long.
I started with the months just before I left home and scrolled backward.
Before the reservation at the French restaurant, Ava had sent a single message:
*Romy’s still not down. Should we just go? If we’re late, we’ll miss the sunset.*
Marco had replied:
*Forget her. The guard knows she’s home. If she gets hungry, she’ll find something.*
The night I was in too much pain to stand, Ava was in the group chat then, too.
*Romy’s phone keeps ringing. It made me lose another round.*
Marco had answered immediately:
*Blocked her. Keep playing.*
My hand froze on the mouse.
Further down was the day the letter from the education fund arrived.
My mother had taken a picture of the envelope and asked what it was.
Ava had sent a screenshot of the Gucci bag.
*So it’s Romy’s five thousand dollars. That’s exactly how much I’m short, but never mind. The fund keeps records.*
My mother had replied almost instantly:
*Don’t worry about it. Her tuition and housing are covered by the family. She won’t need it for now.*
Ava had sent a hugging emoji.
*Thank you, Aunt Maria. When I have my own money, I’ll definitely pay her back.*
But in the living room, in front of everyone, she had said:
“If Romy needs it urgently, I’ll go return it right now.”
I downloaded the chat log and made two backups.
Then I dug up the records of my fifty-eight phone calls from my old cloud account, my hospital discharge papers, the education fund notice, and the photos my mother had sent of the permission slips.
I hadn’t planned on explaining myself.
Leaving was my answer.
But Ava never should have dragged Ms. Albright into this.
She was the only one who had rushed to the hospital that night.
She was the one who had helped me find a path into a profession that could get me out from under my family’s control.
I wasn’t going to let her take the blame for them.
I closed my laptop.
This time, I would answer.